Well hello Friday

Well hello Friday! Thanks for this awesome headache you have seen fit to bestow upon me. It's really proved helpful as I worked away to meet my quota of words this morning about satire and the television mockumentary. Haha on you though because I got them done and am feeling very pleased with myself. Perhaps this afternoon you might like to bother someone else with a headache and leave me alone. I have to go into work you see and those two things (work and headache) rarely play nicely together. It's just a suggestion you know, but I would appreciate it if you could give it your full consideration.
With all good wishes
Wendy

Has it really been 21 years?

I am feeling all a little bit nostalgic for the late 80s, early 90s at the moment. It could be something to do with the fact that Saturday night sees me going to my 20th year school reunion. Eeeeeeek.

Three days away

Three days in Brisbane did a great deal towards my ongoing recovery. I stayed with the wonderful Anne and Matthew in Clayfield and was beautifully looked after with great food and conversation. Friday afternoon we went for a brief saunter round the shops at Toombul. Of course I found things to buy. I believe this to be one of my special talents. Anywhere I go I can find something to buy. This time it was two dresses (one of which was 5.95) some earrings half price at Sportsgirl and a lace kind of headband. I also bought three beautiful bunches of asparagus for 4 dollars which we had with our dinner on Saturday night.

Saturday we went out. Firstly, we drove over to the South Side to visit my book publisher. He is a lovely, intellectual man who is not very well but maintaining his enthusiasm for life, ideas, and beliefs. We drank tea and chatted for two hours. Then it was lunchtime so we drove to West End and treated ourselves at The Gunshop Cafe (I have the name correct now unlike my tweet at the time). My risotto was delicious. Then we wandered up and down the street. I spent some considerable time in the Avid Reader picking up things and putting them back again, but did find a book on Banksy on the bargain table at the front which seemed like too much of a cooincidence to ignore so I bought it. And then we ran into my musical friend Murray sitting outside The Forest, an unexpected treat. We chit chatted and Anne noticed some poor backpackers trying to buy mangoes at the fruit shop next door. (They were squeezing them instead of smelling them to see if they were ripe). After that we were growing weary and stopped briefly on the way home for a coffee somewhere I forget the name of.

By then it was time to get ready for the opera. Aida by Verdi at the Lyric Theatre. We were sitting four rows from the very back. It was Very Far Away. Still, we could read the surtitles and admire the staging in its completeness. Costumes and choreography were impressive. However, my taste in opera doesn't go far beyond Mozart comedies actually. Given that, the three hours passed quite quickly.

Sunday we made our way to GOMA for Valentino. This was supposed to happen way back in August but was delayed by my operation so I was really looking forward to it. The pug fashion parade on the lawn outside was a surprise in more ways than one, but the dresses were the real highlight. It was slightly, disappointing they had run out of exhibition catalogues. I bought some postcards and fridge magnets instead. As you do.



Then it was lunch and time for home. I am little weary today, having not walked that far in quite a while but all well worth it.

working from home: in pictures

fillums and musik

Well I didn't get to South Solitary on Friday night. I swapped it for a wonderful evening of fun and laughs with my darling sister in law. I introduced her to Beautiful People.

Yesterday though I did get to see Creation with Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly. It was a beautiful film, a lament for Darwin's daughter Annie who died at a young age, his coming to terms with her death during the writing of the Origin of Species, the battle between religion and science, and the question of faith...as a separate issue. I found it very moving and still find myself thinking about it today. Then I stayed on and watched a documentary about the Vietnam War - The Most Dangerous Man in America. Not having been alive at this time I am pretty hazy on the details of the Vietnam War so this was fascinating. It was the story of Daniel Ellsburg, a top man for many years working within the US government advising on policy and strategy in Vietnam, who after some time of seeing the hypocrisy of what went on in private compared to the public face of the various administrations from Kennedy through to Nixon, decided to release what became known as the Pentagon Papers exposing the increasingly farcical nature of America's involvement in Vietnam. Moral courage was the theme and it was strong and inspiring.

This morning I went to see the Italian film Mid-Day Lunch, about a man who lives with his aging mother, and ends up entertaining three other elderly ladies for lunch. It doesn't sound like much when I say it like that but it was a reminder to take life for what it is, to enjoy the little moments, of sharing, of friendship, of food, of wine and of laughter. Tonight at seven I am going to Exit through the Gift Shop. I made sure I bought my ticket this morning so I wouldn't have a "can't be bothered moment". For in between all this I have played at a choir concert last night and this afternoon. I am a little bit tired. Accompanying takes a fair amount of concentration even if the pieces are pretty easy. But I am looking forward to Banksy's exploits on film. What has been really wonderful has been the crowds at the films. I overheard so many people this morning saying they had been to all or most of the them. And while next weekend I am going to Brisbane for opera and the Valentino exhibition, today I feel fortunate to be just where I am...in Bundaberg.

intensive arts and cultcha

The end of the week is here once more. I welcome it with a headache and a weekend of film going and concertising ahead of me. Yes I realise "concertising" is not a word. I have just made it up. We are lucky enough to have the Sydney Travelling Film Festival here in Bundaberg this weekend. It starts tonight with South Solitary starring Miranda Otto and directed by Shirley Barrett. All I know is that it's set at a lighthouse which is good enough reason for anyone to go to a film. More lighthouses in films is what the world needs. I'm sure you agree. Then tomorrow I hope to get to Creation (about Charles Darwin) and one more in the afternoon before rocking up to the Barolin Street Uniting Church for our Orpheus Singers Concert "Flying Free". The theme of all songs is birds, flight, etc etc. Then Sunday morning there is a art market at the Art Gallery from 10am, another performance of the choir concert at 2pm and then I plan to get to the final film, Exit through the Gift Shop, a documentary about Banksy. On Monday I may well be a little tired.

We're not used to such intensive arts and cultcha in these parts.

At long last....

There is some movement on the manuscript to book front. I am dealing with a small academic press, and today I got the news that the text has gone to the printer and the cover is in process. There is a "blurb"...some complimentary quotes and quite possibly there will be a photo of me.

I am trying not to get too excited just yet but fingers crossed not long now.

In which our heroine wins a raffle...

I know, the title of this post sounds tremendously exciting, but settle down. That all happens a little later in the story.

It's arts festival month in Bundaberg. On Friday night I went to a live music, multimedia event in Alexandra Park where images of the Burnett River were projected on to screens around the Band Rotunda, accompanied by live music. It was very beautiful, peaceful and calming. It was meant to be followed by a magical fire lighting event of a sculpture. Let's just say that was a bit of a fizzer and leave it at that. However, there was wine, and Thai food so all was well.

Last night there was a concert at the Moncrieff Theatre (which is less of a theatre and more of a movie house that pretends to be a concert theatre) by The Idea of North. For those of you who have not encountered The Idea of North, they are a four part a cappella jazz vocal group who sing everything, and sing it exquisitely. The concert was probably once of the best vocal performances I have ever seen. The harmonies were so spot on, and they reeled off horrendously complicated syncopation with ease. My favourite was...well everything really. The absolute highlight though was when, in a crowd of 500 people my name was drawn out to win the free CD!!!! Yes, little old me, who never wins anything. I got to go down to the "merch" table afterwards (I believe that's what it is called in the "biz") and take my pick.

I was very special.

:-)

Post op poetry

Who knew that one of the effects of having an operation would be that you start writing weird, and quite possibly,very bad poetry? Not me, but it's happening whether I like it or not. So in the interest of any Spiralling Shape poetry aficionados I now have a companion blog for poems only, (so as not to alienate any SS readers)

You have been warned.

http://towriteistodrawamap.blogspot.com/


To write is to draw a map: tentative explorations in creative writing

(something I have never been good at)

The link is down the sidebar as well.

it is just like riding a bicycle

And so the day finally came when I returned to my accompanying duties at choir. We had practice this afternoon for our concerts on October 16 and 17. I had not touched the piano since August 23. HA - it is just like riding a bicycle. I didn't fall off and scrape my knees or anything, although missed a couple of key changes in songs that they hadn't learned before I left. Got them right the second time though.

Wise words....

And by the way, everything in life is
writable about if you have the outgoing
guts to do it, and the imagination to
improvise. The worst enemy to creativity
is self-doubt. ~Sylvia Plath

Note that I am not the one in the tiara

I have sadly neglected my blog over the last week. Some of you may be wondering - did Wendy survive her return to work? The answer to that fascinating question is yes, but she had a number of moments where she alternatively wanted to scream, cry, and indeed laugh for all manner of reasons. It's a challenge to be away for four weeks doing absolutely nothing and then return as if nothing has changed. Because, in fact lots of things have for me at least. Some of the emotional rollercoasterishness can apparently be explained by my hormones. As my lovely GP explained to me yesterday, they will be "all over the place" for a while until things settle down.(i.e. my body gets used to having only one ovary instead of two).

Still, this week was cheered considerably by my birthday on Wednesday and the Jinxster's birthday on Thursday. As always, we celebrated with lots of eating. Wednesday night I went out for Chinese and had mini chocolate cakes with my family. Thursday saw the traditional Libran lunch ( our numbers have dwindled to two so we encouraged a ring in in the form of Sue...she bought us presents!). We Indulged as is the tradition. Last night we went to Restaurant 55 where we gorged ourselves on beautiful food. For your information and enjoyment I had the herbed rack of lamb followed by Zuccotto (sort of tiramusu meets chocolate something..mmm). There was also champagne! And today we have had our work morning tea which was cake cake and more cake. I think I may have had enough cake now.

For your further enjoyment see our happy smiling cake cutting photo:



Note that I am not the one in the tiara.